Holding the Leash
by Butterfly Harvester
Summary: After the reapers kill a demon, some demons want to get even.  William and Annabelle find themselves working with an old foe to stop them.  They don't trust him but what more can they do?
1. Chapter 1

_Title: Holding the Leash_

_Summary: After the reapers kill a demon, some demons want to get even. William and Annabelle find themselves working with an old foe to stop them. They don't trust him but what more can they do?_

_Notes: Firstly, yes this is a sequel to Price of Freedom. I feel like Abigail's time is done for now, though I may visit her later. But I wanted to go back to William and Annabelle. They make me happy. She will show up from time to time in this however._

_I could not decide if I wanted to do Annabelle's time at the Shinigami Academy or if I wanted to do William and Annabelle's relationship between First Cut and Academic Success. This idea hit me when I could not sleep and has been nagging at me ever since so I'm going to go with it. It will give some hints and pieces of their time between those two fics, especially as a certain someone arrives._

_One last thing, I might be shelving my Undertaker story for now. I will however do a sequel to Road Rage in which Grell, Ronald, and Undertaker do convince William to take them to the mall._

_Chapter 1_

Annabelle Spears hurried down the crowded streets, trying to blend in with the hurrying humans as best as a Shinigami could. It was time for lunch and workers from nearly every building she passed were rushing to their homes to eat and then rush right back to work.

Normally, she would be traveling from rooftop to rooftop with ease, but one young recruit had dropped down in a crowd of gossiping women nearly a week ago, startling them all. She had decided to take no chances until she was positive the humans had calmed down.

It did not help that nearly a month before, a demon without a master had been harassing London, devouring souls, burning whatever she chose to burn, and giving the reapers far more work and trouble than they wanted. Katherine, as Annabelle had learned only after the demon's death, had also tried to separate the reapers, especially herself, William, and their daughter Abigail.

Everyone was back on the same page, and all was well among the Shinigami. But Annabelle still found herself nervous. Recently there had been a few fires, two within the same week. The fires had been sporadic but she feared another demon running amok.

She sighed wearily, unaware of quickening her own steps. She had souls to collect and needed to focus on that, not the small possibility of a demon, or demons, making London their own.

Annabelle had been preoccupied with her thoughts, not minding the angry looks people were sending her if she bumped into them in her own rush. She could not ignore someone bumping directly into her. She staggered but remained upright, her ledger still tucked under her arm. Her glasses had been knocked askew. As she straightened them, she glanced behind her.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she caught sight of a tall man in a tailcoat. She only saw him from the back, and only for a moment as he turned at the nearby corner, but for a moment she would have sworn it was...

"No," she told herself firmly. "Absolutely not! He devou – " She stopped, aware that three young children were eying her curiously. She quickly silenced herself and hurried on.

There were two souls that needed to be collected within minutes of each other. Thankfully, they were both on the same street, only three other houses between them.

She slipped to the back of the first house and peered into the first window she saw. It was the right one. Annabelle crouched low in order to stay hidden.

She was to collect the soul of a young woman, Elizabeth Ravencroft, who was severely weakened by childbirth. There had been another woman in the room, sitting on the bed and talking to her. Annabelle assumed it was either her mother, a midwife, or another female relative. She did not care who the woman was, she just wanted her to leave.

It took her nearly a minute before she left. Wasting no time, Annabelle unlocked the window using her death scythe and slipped inside. The woman on the bed stirred despite Annabelle not making a sound. She turned her head to face Annabelle and mumbled something Annabelle assumed was not meant for her ears.

"Will my baby be OK?"

Annabelle paused. There was only a handful of times during her career that she could recall of someone engaging her before their deaths. It always surprised her as she never knew who would and who would not.

She relaxed her grip on her scythe, wanting to give this mother some comfort but not being allowed to do that. "It's not my place to say," she said softly before swiping at Elizabeth's chest.

Her Cinematic Record billowed forth, showing a baby with curly brown ringlets. The baby became a small child hiding in her room, jealous of a newborn sibling. The child became a young woman who became engaged, married, and found herself with child before Annabelle's eyes.

After the record ending with nothing of note, Annabelle marked Elizabeth's file _Completed _and left the same way she came.

The second soul on her list was easier to collect. She did not even have to open a window in order to collect the old woman's soul. The only obstacle was a large orange cat that needed to be moved from the windowsill. The cat hissed at her and bolted away.

Something about the orange creature reminded Annabelle of the man she thought she saw earlier. She shook her head, forcing herself to clear her mind. It would do her no good to get distracted.

She crept into the small dining area of the house and frowned. There was quite the variety in her list it seemed. An old woman, having fallen and being unable to help herself was nearly the extreme opposite of a young woman dying due to childbirth.

By the time she had finished viewing the old woman's Cinematic Record, Annabelle had come to a conclusion. She would not tell William she thought she had seen Sebastian Michaelis. Not only was she unsure of whom she had seen, but she also knew that he would be very unhappy to hear it.


	2. Chapter 2

_Holding the Leash_

_Notes: I'm a little worried I'm rushing this one but I don't want it to take forever to get to where I want it. _

_Chapter 2_

It had been three days since she thought she had seen Michaelis, but it still weighed heavily on Annabelle's mind. It was nearly six o'clock, almost time to call it a day. She found herself at her desk, staring at a piece of paperwork for several minutes. Her mind was wandering, her pen still.

She did not realize how long she had been staring at the papers on her desk until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, then managed a small smile for William. "Don't tell me you're finished with your work before I am," she said. "This must be a first."

"Surprisingly, yes," William T. Spears replied, pushing his glasses back into position.

She turned her attention back to her desk. Pushing a lock of hair that escaped from her braid out of the way, she said, "I only have a little left to do. If you want to go home without me, go ahead."

"I'll wait," William told her. He waited for her in silence. Annabelle nearly forgot he was there until she had completed her papers, looked through them to make sure she had not missed anything, and dropped them onto the tray on her desk.

They left in silence, but the walk home did not remain that way. William glanced at her before asking, "Is anything troubling you, Annabelle?" When she did not answer him, he added, "You seem to be distracted. You also seem quite restless at night."

He continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye as he walked. She looked as though she was searching for the right words. "There has been a lot on my mind," she admitted. "It's been quite a busy time for us, hasn't it?"

"Yes," William said, knowing exactly what she was talking about, "but we do not have to worry about that demon anymore."

"I know," Annabelle muttered. She stepped closer to him, close enough to rest her head on his shoulder. "It's still a little hard to stop worrying about."

"I understand it's hard, Annabelle," William said, lowering his voice as to not be overheard by a group of teenagers leaning against a nearby building, "but it isn't like you to get completely distracted."

"I know," she said again, her tone indicating that she wanted the conversation over with. "Just give me more time, William. I'll make sure I don't mess anything up. If it will make you feel better, you can go through my paperwork at the end of the day yourself."

He agreed to do just that and let the subject drop as they had reached their apartment.

He nearly smiled to himself as Annabelle unlocked the door with one hand and freed her hair from her braid with the other. He knew many people took their shoes off as soon as they stepped inside their home. Annabelle took her hair down before doing anything else. It was a small quirk of hers but he found it endearing.

Annabelle was deep in thought for most of the evening. William allowed her to think recent troubles through. Though she hardly said anything to him, she would occasionally look up as though she was making sure he was still around.

She went to bed before him. Despite the fact that he was not tired, William soon followed her to bed. After changing into his pajamas, he sat down on the bed, careful to not disturb her.

As she had for many nights in recent weeks, Annabelle was sleeping but fitfully. She was laying on her side of the bed, her knees drawn up, her left hand tucked under her and her right arm stretched out under her pillow. She whimpered faintly, trying to draw herself into a smaller ball.

William slipped under the blankets without waking her. He pulled her close to him, her back to his stomach. She cried out faintly, her cry all but confirming the fact that she dreamed of some adversary. Then she sighed faintly and murmured his name. He brushed a strand of her black hair from his face, worrying it would be a long night.

* * *

><p>The following morning Annabelle found herself leaning over the edge of a two story building. She was awaiting the death of three people due to a carriage accident. Her thoughts drifted to the conversation she had with William the night before.<p>

"He's just worried," she told herself, glad there was no children, or anyone else, on the roof to listen to her talk to herself. "As am I," she admitted to herself. "I've been pretty high strung this past month or so. What I need is a vacation."

She then laughed aloud. Management, giving her a vacation? Unheard of! London was short handed still, despite several new recruits and about a half dozen transfers. Besides, even if she _could _get a vacation, she did not see William taking one. A vacation would be no fun without him.

"Get a grip on this, Annabelle," she told herself, hearing the crash, the sounds of the horses whinnying, the cries of pain and surprise. She hopped down from her perch, landing gracefully in the alley below. Alleys were the best place to land in her mind. If there was anyone in the alley, which there hardly ever was, that poor soul was usually too drunk to understand what was going on.

She had three souls to collect in a hurry. Accidents usually drew gawkers. She darted forth, slicing the first victim with her scythe as she went. She did not stop until she reached the darkness of a stairwell directly across the street. The end of her death scythe held the Cinematic Record of one Julie Cross.

She completed her judgment on the woman and glanced back towards the accident. A crowd was growing. Annabelle swore under her breath but saw her spot. Again she raced forward, too fast for the humans to see. She cut this one very close, ruffling a young woman's skirt as she did.

Collecting all three souls was a bit of work, but the deed was done within minutes. By now some in the crowd of humans had realized the victims were gone and were tending to the young man who still showed signs of life. Annabelle glanced over her shoulder at the mess in the road once more before hurrying down the alley and leaping over the fence at the end.

She exhaled slowly on the other side, a faint smile at her lips. She had expected some trouble and found none. Perhaps it was the aftereffects of that horrible she-demon's wrath. She went to her next assignment with a slight bounce in her step. That bounce would not stay for long.


	3. Chapter 3

_Holding the Leash_

_Notes: I can't wait to write the next chapter!_

_Chapter 3_

Annabelle leaned against a wooden fence, her ledger open in her hand. To her surprise, her list was not as big as it normally was. She was also pleased to note that she had no fires to deal with. She snapped her ledger shut and tucked it away.

She felt no need to rush. A glance at her watch showed Annabelle that she was nearly ten minutes ahead of schedule. Despite being ahead, Annabelle wanted to make sure she was where she needed to be.

Taking her time, Annabelle walked to the inn. There was going to be a suicide in the room on the end. Back when she worked in the typing pool, suicides were the easiest thing. Humans taking their own life in their own hands required a lot less work than accidents. Though they did often make a mess of themselves. But that was usually for Undertaker to handle.

She decided to wait a few minutes in front of the inn. As she made herself comfortable, a young man with shoulder length blonde hair came out of the building in front of her. Even though he held a broom in his hand, he did no sweeping. Annabelle began to grow nervous.

Humans did think of reapers as other humans most of the time. But there were a few cases who had seen a Shinigami, concluded that what they had seen _was _real and _not _a figment of their imagination, and became obsessed. Abigail had encountered one of those on her final exam. Luckily for her daughter, everyone thought the woman was a little touched in the head.

Annabelle wondered if she had found another person like that. Sure the broom was a prop, she left the shade of the building she was standing in and started down the street. Once she was out of the young man's sight, she jumped a fence and went around towards the back of the inn. One quick check of her ledger showed she was right in thinking that the suicidal Mark Logan was in the room at the very back of the building.

She let herself into the room silently and then found herself wondering where to wait. There was the wardrobe of course, but he could look in there for something. The room across the hall was occupied. Reluctantly, Annabelle looked towards the bed. With a nearly inaudible groan she slipped under the bed, recalling a time in which she had hidden in a dark corner with William.

She hid just in time. No sooner than she had ducked under the bed did the door open. In came a man in his late twenties, a small suitcase clutched in his hand. She listened to him fumble with the case, removing something along with a sheet of paper. He left the paper on the bed, no doubt for someone to find easily. She heard the sound of a chair moving and a grunt as he stood on it. Annabelle shut her eyes and shook her head.

Suicide, she felt, was a foolish thing. She could think of no reason worth doing it but humans apparently disagreed.

Annabelle did not move until she heard the chair slip and saw the tips of his dress shoes. She slipped from under the bed, her death scythe clutched in her hand. Without knowing how long it would take for his body to be discovered, she wanted to get this over with. She sliced him open and studied the record of a man who, as a baby, sailed with his parents to London. She inclined her head to the side as she watched a young man getting rocks thrown at him by other smaller children. Mark had been teased and tormented often, something that had never left him.

Annabelle shook her head slowly before completing her judgment on his life. When she was done, and Mark's twitching stopped, she turned to slip out the window from which she had come. She froze.

Attached to the window, which she knew was clear of anything when she had sneaked in, was a note. Biting her lip, Annabelle nervously hopped out the window. A part of her, the sane, rational part, told her to leave the note alone. _'Don't look at it, it's nothing,' _she thought.

The curious part of her won out. Her hand darted forward and snatched the note. Written across the front of the folded piece of paper was her name. She nearly laughed, not surprised in the least.

She unfolded the note and scowled. So, she had been right.

_My apologies for looking in your ledger, Annabelle, but I do need to speak to you. It is of the utmost importance. Please meet with me tomorrow at noon. Your ledger shows that you have no reaping at that point. _

Annabelle shuddered, horrified that such a creature would be close enough to spy on her papers. There was an address on the page, one Annabelle knew as a dingy pub, nearly empty in the daytime hours. It was signed _Sebastian Michaelis._

To hell with her schedule, this was more important.

* * *

><p>William glanced up with annoyance as his door flew open without anyone knocking. When he saw it was Annabelle, he held back the nasty remark he had on the chance that it was Grell Sutcliff, who had made bursting into William's office a habit of his. Before he could speak, she dropped the paper on his desk as though it had burned her.<p>

He picked it up without a word and looked at it. After reading it, he crumpled it up in his hand. "How did that _thing _get close enough to you to see your ledger?"

Annabelle shook her head. "I have no idea. Today I was looking at it before I collected Logan's soul. I sensed no one around me but..." she trailed off wearily. She sat down on the edge of his desk and sent him a questioning look. "What do we do?" she asked.

"You are not going without me."

"I had no plans to go if you refused to join me." She pointed to the paper still clutched in his hand. "What about that? Should someone know?"

"I'll handle it," William told her. "You should get back to work."

Annabelle nodded and left without another word. As she walked down the hall, she wondered vaguely if William had plans for a certain black haired demon.


	4. Chapter 4

_Holding the Leash_

_Notes: This is the chapter that gave me the idea. It was one of the first things I thought of for this fic and I love it sooo much._

_Chapter 4_

William and Annabelle were quite early in arriving to the pub, but Sebastian Michaelis still was the first to arrive. His appearance was the exact one they both remembered from many years before. Sebastian still wore the suit he wore as Ciel Phantomhive's butler, although he no longer wore the pin that showed him to be the head butler. From the black hair to the red eyes, the white gloves and his polished shoes, it was all the same.

As she and William stepped into the darkened pub, Annabelle noted there was no in there besides Sebastian. As if to answer her question, Sebastian said, "It did not take much to convince the barmaid to leave us alone."

"Of course it didn't," William said, narrowing his eyes. He gripped his death scythe tightly, ready to use it in an instant.

Sebastian gestured to a small round table in the far corner of the room. As though he had anticipated William joining Annabelle to meet him, he had placed three chairs at the table.

Neither Shinigami followed him. He turned back and said, "I have no weapons and I do not pose any threat to you."

"Like I'd believe that," Annabelle spat. She stared at him and asked, "Whose dog are you pretending to be now?"

"No one's," Sebastian told her. "I come here on my own. I chose this form simply because I knew you would recognize it."

William glanced at Annabelle. He could tell she was nervous and wanted to leave. He was fighting the desire to impale Sebastian where he stood. He took a step closer to the table and said, "You better have a good reason for stalking Annabelle."

"I do," Sebastian said, taking his seat and gesturing again to the chairs across from him. "Please sit."

William frowned but joined him. Annabelle sank down beside him on the edge of her chair, ready to leap up in an instant. She glared at Sebastian, her hand never leaving her own death scythe.

"My reason for following Annabelle just long enough to get a good look at her schedule," Sebastian began, "was to get to you. Of the Shinigami I have encountered over the years, you seem to be the most... sane."

William leaned forward despite his dislike of the creature and asked, "What do you need a Shinigami for?"

"I wanted to offer a warning. Several demons are quite unhappy with you reapers right now. You killed one of their own and they want revenge."

"And you?" Annabelle asked.

Sebastian shrugged. "I find it childish. It wasn't the first time a demon has fallen and it will not be the last. Demons have killed reapers in the past and your fellow Shinigami have not taken an ounce of revenge."

Annabelle turned to William and asked, "Do you really trust him? Not only is he a demon but you do recall what we've been through because of him don't you?"

Sebastian smiled at her from across the table. "Your daughter seems to have grown up just fine."

"You foul, loathsome – " Annabelle lunged across the table, ready to strangle Sebastian with her bare hands. William managed to seize the back of her jacket in time. She twisted in his grip to turn and stare at him.

"Annabelle, if what we're being told is correct, killing another one will cause even more unrest within the demon community."

She managed to free herself from William's grip. "So you _do _believe him?" she demanded.

"I would rather be careful until we can find out whether or not he is lying."

Sebastian watched them with a hint of amusement. Annabelle turned long enough to send Sebastian a scorching look, then left the pub, slamming the door behind her. Sebastian rose to his feet and admitted that he did not expect that to happen.

"She loathes you," William said. "_I _should have expected it."

The pub was silent as the Shinigami and demon stared at each other as they had done long ago under a circus tent. It was William who broke that silence.

"Why would you tell us of this? We owe you nothing, and I know the vast majority of us would not want to be indebted to a beast such as yourself."

Sebastian could only shrug. "Someone had to let you know. From what I've been able to hear, these demons are not ones to be trifled with. They are far more superior to Katherine, as you knew her. In all honesty... I think they have been looking for a reason to start a war with the Shinigami. They have no masters, so they have no orders to obey. They also know better than to just randomly grab souls. They, as I'm sure you are thinking, do as demons do best."

William considered this for a moment. Then he asked, "Why should I believe you want nothing to do with your fellow savages?"

"Trust."

William narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "If what you're telling me is true, the few recent fires we have seen have not been the result of bumbling humans but of demons. I hate the idea of it, but I will work with you on one condition. If I recent one false word, if we are led into one trap, if one hair is harmed on a Shinigami's head, I will reap you."

Sebastian nodded slowly. "Fair enough," he said. "You have no reason to trust me so of course you choose to keep me on a tight least."

"As your master should have," William spat. He considered the conversation over and hurried out the door, wondering if he could catch up to Annabelle.


	5. Chapter 5

_Holding the Leash_

_Notes: Sebastian is kind of exciting to write with. I haven't quite made up my mind how often he will show up but behind the scenes Sebastian is crazy fun._

_Chapter 5_

"So, let me get this straight," Abigail Spears began, looking anywhere but at Annabelle, "Dad, my dad, known for hating demons more than anything, wants to work with Sebastian Michaelis?"

"Apparently so," Annabelle said with a sigh.

Abigail plopped down on her couch, a puzzled frown on her face. She was glad that Annabelle had at least waited until she was home to tell her instead of letting her know that her father had clearly lost his mind while she had work to think about. "You shouldn't have even met with him," she said, her voice soft and childlike.

"I know," Annabelle said. "I could kick myself for that. But now that we have, your father doesn't want anyone taking risks."

"This isn't going to be like with _Katherine _is it?" Abigail asked, spitting out the demon's name as though it would leave a foul taste in her mouth if she kept it inside. "Does he even remember what happened with her?"

"Don't worry about this being like it was with her. According to that beast, these demons are smarter and don't just set fires because they can."

"So it's going to be worse," Abigail said dejectedly.

Annabelle leaned over the back of the couch and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "I admit that demons do make me nervous, but I will not become overprotective like I was recently. I know that bothered you more than you let me know." She paused, then added, "I can't promise to always act sane but I will behave."

Abigail leaned her head against her mother's arm and asked, "What do we do about dad?"

"Tell me and we'll both know. I had hopes he'd kill Sebastian on the spot."

"Why?" Abigail asked, now looking up at her mother with curiosity.

"Sebastian Michaelis and the Phantomhive brat gave us hell before you were born." Annabelle was frowning now, lost in thought. "I don't even have the whole story, but from my understanding, Phantomhive went a little overboard with his revenge. There was an abundance of souls to collect, and even though Michaelis swore he only wanted the Phantomhive boy's soul, we had to make sure he did not get any of them."

"Did you get Ciel Phantomhive's soul?" Abigail asked.

Annabelle shook her head. "_He _got it. Though I suppose it was rightfully his, what with that disgusting contract business."

Abigail cocked her head to the side quizzically. She wondered if Annabelle would tell her anything else. The time before she was born had hardly been talked about by either of her parents. She knew how they met but that was the first time she had ever heard of Ciel Phantomhive giving her mother and father a hard time.

Annabelle seemed ready to drop the subject. With another sigh, she murmured, "I have no idea how long your father will be tonight. He's supposed to tell management everything that happened today."

Abigail laughed despite herself. "Maybe he won't include you wanting to kill a demon with your bare hands."

"He deserved it," Annabelle said, scowling. Changing the subject abruptly, she said, "Do be careful Abigail. Whether or not he was being honest is to be seen."

"I will, don't worry."

"Good." Annabelle checked her watch and grabbed her scythe. "I should get home. It's nearly eight."

Abigail rose to her feet and hugged her. "Good night, Mom. Make sure you're careful, too."

"Always," Annabelle said before leaving. She took her time walking home, not sensing any form of danger. There was always the option of going to Undertaker, of course. He always seemed to know exactly what was going on in and around London.

She shook her head slowly. She would wait. For all she knew Sebastian Michaelis had his own plan to attack the Shinigami.

What was William thinking? For the first time since she had known him personally, Annabelle found herself questioning him. Her only experiences with Michaelis and the Phantomhive boy were reason enough to stay far, far away from him.

And then to have him not only shadow her and get close enough to read her own personal ledger, but to mention Abigail? Annabelle wondered how he even knew of her. By the time Abigail was born, Ciel Phantomhive was no more and Sebastian Michaelis had vanished.

Before she knew it, Annabelle was at their apartment. Suddenly she was hit by the desire to take a long hot bath and then go to bed. She was a little surprised to see William home before her. "I thought you would be with management trying to figure all this out until the wee hours of the morning."

William glanced up from the book he was holding. "I think we've worked everything out," he told her. He shut his book and got to his feet. "Where were you?"

"With Abigail," Annabelle told him. "She agrees that you're a little... eager... to partner up with a foul thing like Sebastian Michaelis."

"I never agreed to friendship or anything else," William began angrily. Her remark, along with the fact that Abigail agreed with her, seemed to touch a nerve. "I am only looking out for you, Abigail, and the rest of the reapers on the off chance that he's right."

"Well," Annabelle said, removing her hair from her braid as she started down the hall, "I hope you know what you're doing."


	6. Chapter 6

_Holding the Leash_

_Notes: Demon names are fun to think of._

_Chapter 6_

Once the deal with Sebastian was done, and it was clear to Annabelle that they would work with _that thing, _she kept to the rooftops to avoid bumping into humans. She had her doubts, but she also did not want to catch even a whiff of demons. That would make her wrong. She did not want to be wrong about that.

On the top of a three story building, she paused. While she could not be sure, she thought she saw a shape on a roof several buildings away. A human? Perhaps, though she had never encountered any on a roof before.

She leaped a little closer. It became clear to her that it was indeed a human. The human also seemed to be staring at her.

"Great," she whispered to herself, crouching down low. What could she do? Going on the roofs was the fastest way to get a soul. This human was in the way. He or she stood in the middle of the quickest route Annabelle could take.

She could drop from the roof and run. She could use a different route on the rooftops. Or... she could keep going.

Annabelle stayed low for a moment or two more and then made her mind up. She would go a little bit closer. If the human seemed hostile, she would drop from the roofs and go about her business via the streets.

In her leap to the next roof, she saw that the human was a young woman, perhaps sixteen or seventeen years old. She wore a thin and somewhat patched gown. She inclined her head as she looked at Annabelle, her blonde curls bouncing against her shoulder. Annabelle narrowed her eyes.

_'She's looking for me,' _she thought.

Just as she neared the edge of the roof to leap below, the young woman raised her hand in an attempt to stop her. With a scoff, Annabelle dropped to the empty street below. Before she could take a half dozen steps, the blonde woman's head appeared at the edge of the roof.

"Shinigami," she called, "you should really stop when someone wants you to. It's rude if you don't."

Annabelle tightened her grip on her scythe, then released it. She would get in trouble, and most likely be demoted, if she killed a human just for recognizing her as a reaper.

She ignored the human, who now sat at the edge of her roof, her legs dangling over into empty space. "Shinigami," she called again, her tone a singsong-ish tease. "What if I were to fall?" she asked. "Would you let me die?"

Annabelle peered over her shoulder. "You would break a bone or two but not die outright," she said, judging the distance from the roof to the ground.

"So you can talk!"

Frowning, Annabelle began to walk away. Above her, the young woman vanished from the rooftop. As she passed the front of the house, she could hear clumsy running down a flight of stairs and to the door.

"Wait up!"

"I have a job to do," Annabelle snapped. "I have no time to chat with obsessed humans."

"I'll just go with you then." The girl offered her hand, which Annabelle ignored. "I'm Alice."

Annabelle sighed tiredly and adjusted her glasses. "Alice, is it? You would be wise to stay home and forget you saw me. Humans like you are so irritating with your obsessed ways."

Alice scoffed. "What are you going to do if I don't go home? Are you going to reap me? That's against your rules."

Annabelle had walked several paces away from the human. She stopped dead in her tracks as Alice spoke. "How do you know things like that?" she demanded, pointing her scythe at the blonde.

Alice did not seem to care that she had a death scythe pointed at her face. Using one finger, she pushed the weapon from her face. "I have a new friend," she whispered. "His name is Jasper and he knows all about you creatures. I'd never thought I'd see one of you until the day I died."

Annabelle tried not to let her surprise and fear show. "Well you have, now good day." She turned on her heel and hurried off, aware of the click of Alice's low heels right behind her. Jasper, was it? An obsessed human, or a demon trying to trick her up? She did not know for sure. She was not even sure she _wanted _to know.

The fact that Alice was attempting to follow her did not disturb Annabelle. She was faster than her, and most likely knew the city better than her. She could lose her easier.

What did unnerve Annabelle was the fear that Alice, or someone like her, would be waiting for her again. She vaulted a low wall, happy to note she was in the area she needed to be in within minutes. A death via horse would occur in the stable to her right soon. She ducked inside.

She decided William would be the first to hear about this. As she watched an angry horse kick at its owner, she decided Sebastian Michaelis would also get an earful.


End file.
